Panthers notes: Receivers have career seasons

CHARLOTTE — While longtime veteran Steve Smith is the one who garners most of the headlines, the Panthers’ receiving corps is quietly turning in career seasons.

Wide receiver Brandon LaFell’s 16-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was his fifth of the season, establishing a new career-best. His previous high, four, came in 2012. LaFell finished the day with three catches for 36 yards.

Fellow wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. also set a career-high Sunday on his 36-yard scoring catch from Newton with 10:50 left in the third quarter. The touchdown was his fourth of the season and all four have been from 25 yards and out.

“We just want to be accountable. It ain’t really about having big names on your team,” said Ginn , who is in his first year in Carolina after three years each in San Francisco and Miami. “You can’t play with a guy like Steve, and not steal some things from him. Just like Steve has stole some things from us.”

Finishing with three catches for 51 yards on Sunday, Smith extended his team record consecutive games with a reception streak to 103 games. The streak dates back to the 2006 season finale.

And with his 51 yards on Sunday, Smith (with 12,083 career yards) passed Derrick Mason and Hines Ward for 20th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list.

Hi, I’m A.J. Klein

Rookie linebacker A.J. Klein made his presence felt Sunday.

With linebacker Chase Blackburn inactive with an injury, Klein made the most of an increase in minutes. The Panthers’ fifth-round draft choice got his second sack of the season in the third quarter and had three tackles for loss.

“I think I’m improving week to week just because I’m getting more snaps,” said Klein, who played in 51 games with 38 starts at Iowa State. “I had to knock the rust off and I’m just now getting that ‘feel’ back.”

While the change in the speed of the game between the NFL and college has been most challenging, Klein said the mental aspect is another barrier.

“I played a pretty simple defense (at Iowa State), and the terminology here is different,” Klein said. “But the whole mental part is starting to slow down and allowing me to play faster on the field.”

Panthers notes

With running back DeAngelo Williams on the inactive list Sunday, Jonathan Stewart made his first start at running back since Nov. 26, 2012, at Philadelphia. Stewart finished with 39 yards on 14 carries, while Mike Tolbert added 48 yards on nine carries.

With a second-quarter sack, defensive end Greg Hardy tallied his seventh sack of the season. He has 16 sacks in the past 21 games.

Safety Mike Mitchell recorded his fourth interception of the season on a badly under-thrown pass by Mike Glennon early in the third quarter. Mitchell had only two picks in his previous four years with Oakland.